Prerequisite: Third-party connectors are available only on the Sana Enterprise tier, with one exception: the Workday connector is included for both Sana Core and Sana Enterprise.
Introduction
Connect Google Drive to Sana to search, read, create, and manage files across drives and folders. Manage access, organize folders and review comments across your organization's knowledge.
In summary, the connector has the following key characteristics:
Categories: File storage, Documents
Connector type: Real-time
Auth type: OAuth
Hosting type: Managed
Capabilities
This connector is able to do the following:
Capability |
List drives |
Find files |
Read files |
Create files |
Update files |
Copy files |
Share files |
Manage access |
Find folders |
Create folders |
Update folders |
List comments |
Create comments |
Update comments |
Tools
While the capabilities above describe what the connector can do at a high level, the underlying tools show exactly which operations the agent can use when you ask Sana about Google Drive. In practice, the agent may call one or more tools to achieve a single capability.
Tool |
Add comment |
Copy file |
Create file from template |
Create folder |
Create shared drive |
Create text file |
Delete comment |
Delete file |
Delete reply |
Delete shared drive |
Download file |
Get comment |
Get file |
Get folder id for path |
Get reply |
Get user details |
Is folder ancestor |
List access proposals |
List comments |
List files |
List mime type options |
List permissions |
List replies |
List shared drives |
List theme id options |
Move file |
Remove sharing |
Reply to comment |
Resolve access proposal |
Resolve comment |
Search files |
Share file |
Trash file |
Update comment |
Update file |
Update reply |
Update shared drive |
Note: This article lists the connector's full set of tools. Your workspace owner can disable individual tools for your workspace, so some of those listed here may not be available to your agents. If a tool you expected is missing, reach out to your workspace owner.
Triggers
While tools are the actions an agent takes on your behalf, triggers are the events that can start an agent automatically. When you build an agent, you can choose one of the triggers below as its starting point. For example, having the agent run every time something new happens in Google Drive.
Trigger |
Changes to Files in Drive |
Changes to Specific Files |
Changes to Specific Files (Shared Drive) |
New Access Proposal |
New Files (Instant) |
New Files (Polling) |
New Files (Shared Drive) |
New or Modified Comments (Instant) |
New or Modified Comments (Polling) |
New or Modified Files (Instant) |
New or Modified Files (Polling) |
New or Modified Folders (Instant) |
New or Modified Folders (Polling) |
New Presentation (Instant) |
New Shared Drive |
New Spreadsheet (Instant) |
New Spreadsheet (Polling) |
Scope and permissions
This connector uses OAuth. When you connect your account, you will need to sign into your account and grant the required permissions:
Scope | Purpose |
Read, create and manage Drive files |
Set up instructions
Prerequisites:
You are a Sana Enterprise user – all third-party connectors except the Workday connector are available only for users on the Sana Enterprise tier.
Your Sana workspace owner has enabled this connector – if the workspace owner has disabled the connector it won't appear in the list of available connectors.
Step 1: Go to the connectors page in Sana
In Sana, click on your profile icon and name in the bottom left corner and select Connectors.
Step 2: Find Google Drive in the list of available connectors
Scroll to the Available connectors section and locate Google Drive.
Note: If you can't find a connector in this list, it means one of the following:
You've already connected it — check the ”Active connectors” section at the top of the connectors page, or
Your workspace owner has disabled this connector for your workspace — reach out to them for more information or to request that it be enabled.
Step 3: Hover the connector card and click the connect button
Hover the Google Drive card and click the Connect button.
Tip: If you click the card itself instead of the Connect button, you'll open a connector detail page with more information about its capabilities.
Step 4: Initialize the Pipedream connection
When clicking Connect in the previous step, a pop-up will appear powered by Pipedream. Click the Continue button in the pop-up to initialize the set up.
Note: Sana uses Pipedream to connect your account. Pipedream is a Workday product, trusted by millions of people to keep their data secure.
Step 5: Sign in to Google Drive and approve the requested scopes
You'll be redirected to Google Drive to go through their OAuth flow. Sign in and approve the scopes Sana needs to operate the connector.
Step 6: Complete the set up
You've successfully connected your Google Drive account. Click Continue to complete the setup and start using the connector.
Known limitations
File formats: The connector can only read the following file formats in your Google Drive: Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides, Google Drawing, PDF, JPEG, PNG, GIF, WEBP.
Folder metadata: The connector cannot edit folder metadata (such as name or location); it can only delete folders.
Comments: The connector cannot determine which specific element (text, cell, object, etc.) a comment is attached to — it can only list comments in a file.
Version history: The connector cannot access version history, so it cannot answer questions like "What changed recently in this doc, and who made the changes?".
Frequently asked questions
Q: Why can't Sana read some of my Google Drive files?
A: If a file has downloading, printing, and copying restricted for your access level, set by the file's owner or your organization, Sana can't download the file and so can't read its contents. The restriction is working as intended. You can still open the file directly in Google Drive. If you need Sana to read it, ask the file's owner or your Google Workspace admin whether the download restriction can be adjusted for your access.